Lius h



(No Model.)

J. ERIC'SSON. FIRING PIN FOR PR No. 245,803.

OJEGTILE TORPEDOES.

PatentedAug. 16, 1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN neicsson, OF NEW roams. Y., ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO OORnE mus n. DELAMATER AND GEORGE E. ROBINSON, BOTH or SAME PLACE.

EI FlIhlG-PIN F R PROJECTILE-TORPEDIQES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,803, dated August 16, 1881 Application filed June 18, 1881. (No model.)

the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class of per- The firing-pin is straight and provided with a collar or shoulder, P, atsome distance from its rear end. Its front end is niade with a 'chisehpoint or otherwise with a sharp edge, to

prevent it from glancing oif from 1a,,yessel which. it strikes. Its rear end -is furnished with two or more teats, o 0, or points in tended to strike the fulminate cartridges or primers m m. The socket S is bored centrally and has holds the said pin out oil-con tactwiththe. prhn- 1o cnssion. apparatus for firing the explosive charges'of submarine torpedoes and other we plosive projectiles in which a firing-pin protruding from a socket inserted into the projectile has applied to it a spring, which, until the 15 projectile strikes the vessel or body attacked,

in its front-end astufiing-hox,T,-through which the firing-pin works water-tight,and by which water is excluded from the socket. The here is enlarged some distance behind the stuflingbox .sullicientlytoreceive the collar P andthe spring Q, the said spring and the pin beingin- 6 serted into thesocket ifromt'he rearbeforethe, plug R is put in. In front of this plug there is inserted intqthe socket a collar, R, which isheld by the plug against a shoulder, p, formed by a further enlargement of, the bore ers or fulminate employed to ignite the charge.

The invention consists in certain novel features in the construction of such percussion 2o apparatus, whereby its accidental operation is 5 primers or cartridges m m.

etfectually prevented, although greater certainty 0t" firing the charge on the striking of the projectile is insured.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of 2 my improved percussion apparatusand of a part of the head of a torpedo to which it is applied. Fig. 2 is a frontview of theplng which closes the rear end of the socket of the said apparatus, and which receives the primers or 0 fulminate-containing devices bywhich the charge is ignited.

S is a socket which contains all the parts of the percussion apparatus, and which is screwed at'n into the head a .of the projectile, and

5 which enters the chamber B, which contains the explosive charge.

P is the firing-pin, centrally placed within the said socket S, protruding from the front thereof.

0 Q is a very strong coiled spring arranged around the said firing-pin within the said socket.

It is a plug screwedinto the rear of the said socket, and having in it two Or more holes serving as receptacles for as many fulminate This plug is secured againstturning in the socket by a screw, v, passing through the socket and screwing into the said plu g, and the primer-receptacles and the primers or cartridges containedthere- 50 in are thereby secured in certain positions.

behind the port-ion which receives the spring. This collar serves as a guide for the rear can of the firing-pin and as an abutment for the spring which is powerfully compressed between the said coilar'R and the collar P on the fi'rin g-pin, and holds thelatterso securely against a-shoulder, p, in the s'ocket that no possible accidental concussion on the front 'end of the firing-pin coulddrive back the said pin in the socket. i 1

The teats or points 0 0 on the rear end'of the firing-pin and the i'ulminate cartridges or primers m m correspond in number'and position, and in order to preserve the proper positions of the said teats or points relatively to the said cartridges or primers, and so insure each of the said points or teats striking properly one of thesaid cartridges or primers when the firing-pin is driven back into the socket S, there is a longitudinal slot, 1', in the socket, in which fits a pin, t, which is screwed :into a tapped hole in collar P and projects laterally from the tiring pin. When the collar P" of the firing-pin is held against the shoulder 12 the points or teats o o are some distance from. the cartridges or primers. These cartridges or primers may in all respects resemble the meta] lie cart-rid ges com monly used for smallarms,

and be either what are known as center-fire or rimfire. The firing-pin being kept from too turning by the pin 1;, and the plug R being kept from turning by the screw 1), thestriking of all the cartridges er primers is insured, and the firing of the explosive charge in the pro- 5 jectile cannot fall from the missing fire of the cartridges 0r primal-em, hnless the whole number should miss, and it is hardly within the range of possibility that all shenld miss, when the front end of the firing-pin strikes a vessel :0 orcther holly attacked with the impact due to the momentum of the projectile when lischarged from a gun. V i

What l'elaini as my invention is- 1. The combination, in a percussion-firing 15 apparatus fOl explosiYelpreieetiles, of a socket having in its rear end fixed receptacles for two or more fnlurinate-primers, anllafiringpin ham with the said receptacles, and having a lateral projection Working in a slot in said socket for: 20 the purpose of keeping each point or teat of the firing-pin opposite one of the primer-recep tacles, substantially as herein deseribed.

The combination of the soehet S, provided with a shoulder, q, the firing-pin P, pro- 2 5 vided with a collar, P, the'spring Q, the 00 lar B, serving as a guide for the firingpin a d an abutment for the spring, and the plug R, serving to hold the fulminate-primers and to secure the collar R, substantially as herein 0 described I J. ERIOSSON. Witnesses:

SAY. TAYLOR, ED. GLATZMAYER.

ing a number of teats or points corresponding 

